Page 31 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“No, you don’t.”

He stared at me, head cocked. “I don’t?”

“Oatmeal and protein bars? Kale? Speaking of—” I tried to peek at the roasting pan to figure out what he’d cooked. “You aren’t trying to feed me anything…healthy, are you?”

Connor snickered. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good. Then you get a kiss.” I did exactly as promised, walking the few steps over to the man, dropping a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for doing this,” I added and when he smiled—whoosh!Air evacuated my lungs.

“Why don’t you get comfortable? I’ll get this to the table,” he said. I nodded, walking to the bedroom, where I changed intocomfy shorts and a T-shirt. Then, after washing my hands, I joined him at the table.

“Eating at the table today? Who’s fancy?”

“It seemed like aneat at the tablekind of day, the first meal with us officially moved in together.”

I sat down.

After my first bite of succulent roast, two things about Connor became fact. First, he was the best bed partner a woman could ask for. Second, the man could cook.Reallycook.

That night, after a full belly and a highly pleasant evening doing nothing in particular with Connor, I went to bed and that was where the weirdness started. I lay down next to my what amounted to a universal common law husband, snuggling against him with my head on his chest and my arm draped over his stomach. I seriously couldn’t think of a more comfortable spot.

“No Luc tonight?” I yawned.

“He’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll have the graveyard shift again.”

I laughed lightly at his little quip. Graveyard shift, indeed.

Sleep came easier with Connor here, too. I could only assume that it had something to do with the connection we shared as mates. But the easy ended there. From the moment I felt myself fall into a sleep state—and yes, Ifeltit—the dark-haired woman showed up again. All I got from her before was “Simone.” Tonight, however, I got a totalChatty Cathy.

“Simone,” she started off the conversation again, and I waited for her to continue. “You’ve connected with your mate?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, thank the darkness,” she replied.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why?”

“He is your key—you must use him.”

“My key? Use him?”

She wasn’t making any sense.

“The brooch presented itself to you?”

“Brooch?”

“A symbol. A snake.”

“Yes. It was at Connor’s secondhand store. He let me have it.”

“Use it, Simone… let it guide you.”

“Guide me?”

She whipped her head around left and right as if she’d heard someone enter the room with her, or wherever she was at, but it was a dream, so I didn’t see how it could be possible.

“I have to go. Stick with your mate… He is your key…”

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